Archive for June 22nd, 2008

8.66 %. That’s the official turnout on today’s referendum on regions according to the State Electoral Commission at the time of publishing this post. The polling stations had closed minutes ago, and it means that a little more than 145.000 people out of 1,6 million eligible had voted. Analyses and projections will be forthcoming in the next couple of hours and day. PM Janša is due to give a statement at 2100hrs, while Ljubljana Mayor Zoran Janković (the one who called for a boycott) will give a statement minutes from now.

As predicted, a battle for interpretation will start. PM Janša is scheduled to give a statement at 2100 by which time all the votes will probably have been counted. The extremely low turnout (lowest of any referendums held in Slovenia, where referendums are not attended in huge numbers anyhow) suggest that those who voted, did so in favour of regions.

Ljubljana Mayor Zoran Janković will give a statement minutes from now. As you may recall, he called for a boycott of the referendum. It will be interesting to see if he will be tempted to interpret turnout in Ljubljana (only 5.5%) as a massive following of his advice. The reality namely is that we had a criminally nice and warm Sunday probably payed a part in the fact that less than 6% of voters cast their vote in Ljubljana (the lowest turnout in the country). But the main factor dirivng the voters abstinence is probably the fact that the voters didn’t care a pair of fetid dingo’s kindeys about a muddled referendum question and a severe lack of a referendum campaign. To elucidate with a refference to specifics: While casting his vote, pengovsky was actually asked by a member of the on-site electoral commission what this referendum was actually about. Go figure.